A nine-year-old boy is alleged to have taken a knife to an East Reading school and threatened other pupils.

Thames Valley Police confirmed an incident took place involving a Year Four pupil and a ‘household’ knife at Alfred Sutton School in Wokingham Road on April 3.

But despite responses from the police and Reading Borough Council, concerned parents are demanding action from the school.

Police spokesman Adam Fisher said: “Officers have spoken to the boy, who is below the age of criminal responsibility, and the matter has been referred to Reading Borough Council.”

Sarah Bishton, a spokeswoman for the council, said: “All potentially dangerous incidents at Reading’s schools are taken extremely seriously.

“The council is aware of an incident in a primary school and has offered support to both the children involved and to the school.”

Now parents are asking for more action. Speaking anonymously to the Evening Post, a mum said the school had handled the incident poorly and not informed parents of what had happened.

She said: “We’re rather appalled we have heard nothing from the school. All we have heard is what the children have come home and told us.

“They told us a boy in Year Four came in to school with a vegetable knife and threatened pupils with it.

“I would like to know what’s happened and whether or not he’s going to be back in school.

“I think it’s very much a one-off occurrence, I’m just really more concerned with how the school’s dealt with it. It’s just been left to tittle-tattle. I think parents should have been notified and they also need to actually speak to the children about it. I don’t feel the headteacher or the governors have acted responsibly.”

Ms Bishton added: “Reading Borough Council’s education department has been in correspondence with both the school and parents of all the pupils at Alfred Sutton who were involved in the incident. The council cannot share information on the welfare of individual pupils.”

This is not the first time a youngster has taken a knife into a Reading school. In March last year, a pupil was convicted for possession of an offensive weapon after taking a three-inch lock knife into Highdown School in Emmer Green.

And at the beginning of March this year, an 11-year-old John Madejski Academy pupil had a knife held to his neck while walking home from classes in Northumberland Avenue in broad daylight. His 14-year-old attacker is due to be sentenced on Friday.

Thames Valley Police have been cracking down on knife crime by holding events at local schools.

In March, the force increased patrols at local schools as part of a two-week national initiative to cut knife crime.

Last September, PC Andy Philpott took up a post as the Safer School Partnership Officer for West Berkshire Local Policing Area (LPA).

He said: “The purpose of my role is to work with neighbourhood officers and staff to provide a safe and secure school learning environment.

“I will be working closely with the schools and other partner agencies, such as the Youth Offending Team (YOT) to challenge unacceptable behaviour, and to identify young people at risk of becoming offenders or being victimised.

“This is an exciting role that allows me to work with schools and young people to reduce crime and offending, to help young people understand the consequences of crime and learn how to reduce the chances of becoming victims of crime.”